Culinary Dreamworld of a 700-year-old Culture

One last recipe from the summertime. Perhaps, I’ve heard over a hundred people say that they like the taste and aroma of okras but they hate the gooey texture. The best way to avoid the sticky slimy texture is to keep the pods intact, only peel the most outer skin on top and leave the cap intact (the holes inside shouldn’t be seen so that the mucilage will not come out of the pod), to add lots of lemon juice and not to stir it while cooking. Here’s the recipe to a flowy clear okra dish.

Ingredients:

2 onions, peeled and cut into 4,

500 g of okra,

3/4 cup of olive oil, extra virgin as always

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tomatoes, peeled and grated,

1 teaspoon of salt,

1 teaspoon of sugar,

1/2 cup of water

Directions are simple. Put all the ingredients in a steel pot. Cover. Put on medium heat for the first 5 minutes, then lower the heat and cook on low heat until the okra becomes a bit softer than al dente. Remember, avoid stirring it as much as possible. Just shake the pot gently half way through the cooking process. Remove from the heat when done. Serve the next day -olive oil dishes are usually their best the day after cooking- at room temperature with more lemon juice if you like, or with bread. Simple, healthy, delicious.

Thanks Layla, boiling okra is another option yes, but that way you’ll lose most of its nutritional stuff and some flavor, cutting them carefully without making holes through and not stirring while on stove is my preferred method. Onion, tomatoes and lemon are okra’s best friends here in Turkey ;). Cheers and pls say salam to your husband.